In an interview with DSOGaming, Erjavec discussed the performance gains from Directx 12. He said that when working with a low-level API, it is not about the features this API provides us but the opportunities it gives us while working close to hardware.

He further explained that for some developers DirectX 12 is an opportunity to create densely populated environments with more dynamic elements than ever before. He hopes that in the future more user friendly approaches will be developed which will differ, not entirely but majorly, from established rendering techniques.

Erjavec said that using software and hardware together to achieve better rendering techniques was not the best way to go. Now, software`s involvement has significantly reduced in the rendering techniques and hardware flexibility is increasing with time.

There’s a wealth of academic research that was ill-suited to practical application through a combination of hardware and software abstraction limitations. With the latter getting out of the way, and hardware flexibility continually improving – more than things just getting iteratively “prettier” – we’re looking at a rise in experimentation again.

In a way, the industry has circled back to a place similar to where we were in the early-mid 90s, when software rasterization didn’t really impose any restraints on creativity beyond the 17ms barrier.

He further discussed the introduction of Universal Windows Platform (UWP) in the PC gaming. According to him, UWP is a platform with many possibilities; it can grow beyond the PC community and create new possibilities like cross platform, provided Microsoft implements it carefully and confidently.

Erjavec further explained the possibilities that Vulkan provides. He said that Vulkan is an API which is very useful in reaching wide range of PC community, who use different OSes. Vulkan is supported by Linux, Legacy Windows versions and mobile devices. On the other hand, DirectX is only limited to Windows and Xbox.

When asked about choosing between Vulkan and Directx 12, Rok Erjavec replied, saying:

If we implemented Vulkan in CRYENGINE, we wouldn’t have to choose one, as titles built with our tech would work seamlessly with both, and thus leave this choice with the users instead.

He further said if they was to develop a game which will ship in 2017 and beyond, then “Vulkan looks like an appealing choice.”